Chapter 481: Unrivaled in the World

Chu Feng was like a ghost, his masterpiece barely complete, yet he himself was almost destroyed, a truly miserable sight.

His body was tattered, his chest, back, and abdomen riddled with bloody holes. Some were so deep that light passed right through; a few more, and his body could have served as a sieve. The sight was terrifying. A wound on his brow extended all the way to his abdomen, a horrifying gash that looked as if he was about to be cut open. Forget deep enough to see bone, his intestines nearly spilled out.

Chu Feng had never been in such a state, not even during his fiercest battles, nor when he was hunted by the Mechanical and Xilin Races. Had his spine not remained ramrod straight and his gaze like a torch, such a mangled person, discarded anywhere, would have been mistaken for a corpse.

Although gravely wounded, his will remained undaunted! He had achieved initial success, a monumental breakthrough that filled him with immense joy, having finally painted his unparalleled masterpiece.

A hundred celestial bodies, dazzling with color, orbited around him. Some were blinding golden, some blood-red, some abyss-black… All exuded a grand aura and contained living beings, a sight that made one feel suffocated and trembled upon deeper gaze. Such a world-shaking painting, if ever displayed, would likely terrify many. These had already fused with him, becoming an inextricable part of his being. Using his life essence and blood as paper, and his spirit as paint, he had created this magnificent masterpiece! If used against an enemy, its destructive power would undoubtedly be terrifying. This was an invincible masterpiece!

"Still a bit lacking," Chu Feng murmured to himself. Even though he was severely wounded, he wanted to continue painting, to outline more. This truly was self-immolation, igniting his life essence and blood, using spiritual paint to compose. In an instant, more celestial bodies appeared, densely packed. The hundred powerful celestial bodies revolved closely around him, truly capable of suppressing the world! But he didn't want to stop there. He wished to leave an open-ended narrative, painting the vast cosmos as a distant background, reserving it for the future. Of course, the focal point was himself, standing at the center, having condensed this magnificent painting.

At this point, Chu Feng truly couldn't hold on. He collapsed onto the altar, covered in blood, his body riddled with dense wounds, on the verge of disintegration. He couldn't bear it. Although he only managed a vague outline at the end, without detailed drawing, the subtle backlash was already pushing him towards death and oblivion.

"This is bad!" Chu Feng felt his blood drying up, his body unresponsive, and even his spirit beginning to stiffen. This was a sign of impending death. Did it mean his attempt to paint his invincible masterpiece had failed? A feeling of helplessness washed over him as he found himself trapped in a deathly predicament.

Chu Feng activated his breathing technique, using his spirit to breathe. He didn't want his soul to solidify; if it truly stopped, he would die. On the verge of extinction, Chu Feng finally understood why geniuses in this field of evolution tended to die more easily. Because confident individuals always wanted to go further, to create unparalleled masterpieces, to achieve more, and to reach the very end of this path. Therefore, ninety percent of ambitious individuals died, a tragic case of moths drawn to a flame!

Chu Feng was half-awake, half-unconscious, his body growing cold, and his spiritual flame flickering, about to extinguish. This was like slowly approaching the underworld, stepping into the land of death. Finally, Chu Feng seemed to die, lying motionless. Even his spiritual flame could no longer be seen; only darkness remained.

A long time later, he regained consciousness. Chu Feng felt as if an entire epoch had passed. During his unconsciousness, it was as if his soul had escaped the cage of his flesh and undergone reincarnation! He truly felt a strange sensation: space was dislocated, time flowed like a song, as if he had slept for many years and was now awakening from a grave.

He still couldn't move; his body was very cold, without any warmth, no different from a corpse. However, his spirit was finally recovering. At this moment, Chu Feng had an epiphany. His breathing technique revealed another mysterious aspect, one he only truly understood after advancing to the Free and Unfettered Realm and entering the desolate land of dark death. Even if the body was dead and the mind extinguished, this breathing technique still operated, allowing the muddled soul and physical shell to maintain a mysterious rhythm, as if a dead person were breathing. Finally, he was like a corpse struggling out of an ancient tomb, returning to the world. Although he was not conscious at the time, he had this distinct feeling now.

Then, his body began to warm, no longer cold. His spirit, like a great sun, emitted golden light; unlike before, it was fervent and blazing. This was strikingly similar to folk legends of ghosts returning to life!

"So, this is the breathing technique the Yellow Ox taught me!" he realized. He didn't know the deeper mysteries, but his current understanding had deepened significantly, breaking through a layer of mist. From now on, its power would surge! This ancient breathing technique expounded on yin and yang, black and white, light and darkness—starting from opposing perspectives, then deepening and expanding. Through the sedimentation and baptism of time, its extraordinary nature had been proven. "No wonder this breathing technique needs to be performed once in the morning and once in the evening, unlike other methods where once a day is enough," Chu Feng realized.

Then, he was startled by what he saw: his smooth hands were dimming and shriveling. Not just his hands, his entire body was like this. As the breathing technique progressed, a great sun seemed to emerge within his withered body, making his physique hotter and hotter, truly bringing him back to life, back to the mortal world. However, the price he paid was quite terrifying. Earlier, although his body was covered in wounds and tattered, it had always been active, as if cast from divine glazed gold. But now it was exceptionally shriveled, no longer full, shriveling inch by inch, as if vibrant mountains had instantly turned into a desert, devoid of the breath of life.

Chu Feng finally understood why Yaoyao had prepared eight quasi-divine beast eggs for him; those contained massive life essence, a holy tonic. He now longed for them immensely; he truly needed them. Unfortunately, the remaining five eggs were on Dragon Tiger Mountain, in the folded space. He hadn't dared to bring them over then, fearing they would be destroyed during the dimensional crossing, as they were divine eggs after all!

A long time later, he recovered, his spiritual flame flickering. Having undergone tempering, it had shrunk but become purer! However, his body desperately needed replenishment. Even his long hair had withered, like wild grass after autumn, a clear sign of severe internal depletion.

Chu Feng rose. Around him, the hundred celestial bodies were grand, colorful, and their aura terrifying. The distant cosmic background was vast and unfathomable. This was created with his life essence, blood, and spirit, truly fused with him! Even with his body now withered, Chu Feng felt the terrifying power of his combat strength. As long as he made a move, his body's deficiency would not obscure the horrifying momentum. Within this unparalleled and magnificent masterpiece, he stood at the center, with all celestial bodies revolving around him!

He considered whether he should transcend and stand above the hundred stars. For now, he decided against it. He couldn't act rashly again in the short term; his previous attempt was truly courting death. He needed to proceed gradually.

Chu Feng wanted to test its power. He felt that his invincible masterpiece also contained energy forms, and it was time to try them out! When he activated them, his body swayed, as he was indeed too weak. But once the energy forms appeared, he instantly froze, no longer swaying.

"This..." He was speechless. Others manifested green lotuses, Bodhi leaves, Supreme Plantain Fans, or a single reed crossing the river. What on earth was *this* that he had?!

One grindstone-sized stone after another! On closer inspection, they were definitely not grindstones. They were all perfectly round and unadorned, like massive boulders. Chu Feng stood frozen, a constipated expression on his face. When others attacked, it was truly a display of heavenly flowers falling, blossoms fluttering, enchanting, brilliant, and multi-colored. All were various energy flowers, making the world seem peaceful and beautiful. But with him, why was it so... bizarre?! He was utterly flustered and dumbfounded!

However, he soon realized. These were... miniature versions of the hundred powerful celestial bodies, dulled and returned to their fundamental forms, transformed into large stones?! Chu Feng opened his mouth, but said nothing. He then rubbed his chin and finally let out a dry chuckle. This was truly unique!

After some inspection, he calmed down, feeling quite confident! Because he felt that using these things to smash "flowers and grasses" would be extraordinarily domineering and wild, almost like bullying, and would likely terrify many people. Chu Feng immediately calmed down and chuckled. When his energy forms emerged, everyone would probably be dumbfounded. Moreover, how would ordinary people ever guess that these were the top hundred celestial bodies? They would likely fail to recognize their true nature.

In the distance, the four Dragon-Locking Stakes clanged as Chu Feng withdrew them and placed them into a spatial bottle. Chu Feng appeared, standing on the altar, facing everyone. As soon as his appearance was revealed, it immediately startled a group of people. The enemies below the altar were all inexplicably astonished. Had he been replaced? No, that was indeed Chu Feng. But how had he become so thin? He was almost skin and bones, his complexion dull and lusterless, and his waist-length hair, once like silk, was now like withered yellow wild grass.

"Heh heh, he presumptuously tried to create an unparalleled masterpiece, but failed, almost perishing and suffering severe depletion!" Pangolin Saint Son Lie Shan chuckled, his sharp, snow-white teeth a little chilling.

Chen Rong was overjoyed. This thorn in her side was simply courting death. It was clear he had encountered a major problem while using his blood essence and spirit to paint his own masterpiece! "He was too ambitious, and nearly cost himself his life," she said, smiling happily, because they had all come through this stage and understood the inside story. At this level, when creating one's own masterpiece, who wouldn't want to leave their name in history? Who would be content with mediocrity? Everyone wanted to create an unparalleled masterpiece. However, this was a huge trap that swallowed the lives of many prodigies. The more ambitious, the easier it was to die young!

On the Primal Beast Platform, a group of people sighed, sensing that Chu Feng had encountered a major problem while depicting his unparalleled masterpiece with his blood essence and spirit. However, at this moment, Chu Feng spoke to the outside, saying, "Everyone, hunting season has arrived! Whoever wants to place an order, hurry up!"

"Hahaha…" Zhu Wuque laughed loudly, saying, "He's finished! Earlier, he said he would fight to the death with all of us, but instead, he fled directly, escaping here. Now he's repeating the old trick, just trying to intimidate us while actually preparing to break through!"

"Red-feathered Sparrow, I guarantee I'll make you kneel and sing 'Conqueror' in a while!" Chu Feng said, incredibly calm, then asked the onlookers, "Does anyone want to buy the wonderful sound of him singing? Oh, and video footage will be included, of course."

On the Primal Beast Platform, many people were speechless. Did he truly have confidence? He seemed to be bluffing despite his dire state. Because his current state was exactly as described in books: there was an eighty percent chance that his painting had failed, and even if he truly completed it, it would likely have various fatal flaws. The extensive experience of previous masters had long since summarized these symptoms. For a time, many people on the Primal Beast Platform felt quite sympathetic towards him. They had originally thought a new star was rising, but now it seemed he had faced too much pressure surrounded by enemies and ultimately ran into trouble.

At this moment, even saints in the outer domains were watching! Even beings like them couldn't see Chu Feng's confidence, only his apparent frailty. This, paradoxically, hinted at the profound success of the magnificent masterpiece Chu Feng had created this time. At this time, the ancestors of Lie Shan, Li Feng, Zhu Wuque, Yuwen Feng, and others—all either quasi-saints or saints—were observing this matter from the starry sky. Some were not far from Earth, while others watched through the Primal Beast Platform. During this time, some saints already had cold smiles on their lips. In reality, they had completely misjudged the situation this time!

"Brother, if your condition isn't good, just stop," many people messaged on the Primal Beast Platform. Chu Feng wanted to check for orders, but upon checking, all he saw were such negative comments.

"I... am already invincible, and the operation to capture God's Sons and hunt Saintesses officially begins!" he declared. Then, he pulled out the suppressed silver turtle from his spatial bottle and directly refined a cup of its true blood, containing divine substances of a quasi-divine beast. He drank it in one gulp, and a hint of color returned to his withered face.

Then Chu Feng directly lunged towards the altar!

"Heh heh, ignorant of death, let me show you my Southern Fire Golden Lotus Divine Flame energy body. It's been ready for you for a long time. Come, die!" Zhu Wuque laughed loudly.

"Silver Bodhi, every leaf a scripture, as it turns a thousand times, silver splendor like snow, one flower, one world!" Yuan Kun roared like a wrathful Vajra, manifesting his energy body.

Chen Rong sneered, her face utterly cold. With a raised hand, she unleashed her strongest technique: a scene of Peach Blossom Spring appeared, with blossoms fluttering down!

At this moment, everyone attacked simultaneously, intending to obliterate Chu Feng! Yet he wore a strange smile, about to reveal his own energy forms.